Tuesday the kids packed up and went to see grandpa and grandma once more and then they were flying home. Coleen and I did some laundry and relaxed before attending a timeshare sales pitch for Sunterra. ( it got us our room in Sedona for $52 so it was worth it). We have no intention of buying into their program though. Then we went to dinner with one of her former BIL who we know well. Went to a local place for Mexican and it was tasty but crowded.
Wednesday we loaded up the car ( now a Ford Focus do to a flat on the Nissan Merano) and drove north. We stopped at a scenic overlook for a few minutes and then kept on till we got to Flagstaff.
Along the way we passed some road signs that warned of elk crossings next xx miles
more on THAT later! After a slight detour because of road construction we continued north. We stopped at Red Crater Nat. Mon. and walked around the volcanic landscape which was interesting.
Then stopped up the road a little further at Wupatiki Nat Mon which is a Native American ruins of ancient dwellings. This was also very interesting.
We were taking a circle route up to Grand Canyon which would give us a better opportunity to view more of the park. Along the way we stopped at a Navajo site that had a small canyon and bought a handmade xmas ornament from some Native Americans.
Then on to the Grand Canyon.
Coleen had never been to the Grand Canyon before and I hadnt been since 1976 so it was like seeing it for the first time for us both. It is an incredible sight to behold.
We spent 5 hours looking out from various angles and overlooks.
We saw a black tail deer walk right in front of us, not once but twice, same deer but 3 hrs apart.
We saw a mountain goat climbing on a cliff that looked liked it could baffle an expert climber
the little spire in the middle of this pic is where he was climbing
and we saw what can only be described as breathtaking views of one of Gods masterpieces.
I could go on but I think the pics speak for themselves. We even saw more deer as we left the park.
After paying $3.60 a gal for gas we proceeded south towards Sedona. It was a couple hours drive and since we were tired we decided to just take a more direct highway out of Flagstaff instead of the interstate which looked to be about and extra hours driving. SO as we headed down the 6% grade a few miles south we rounded a curve, which forever will be know as Elk Turn, and came upon 2 elk standing in the middle of the road. Math time: Ford Focus (tiny car) + Elk ( horses with antlers) + narrow curvy road with a steep down slope and guard rails +oncoming traffic =
.
I am not sure how we made it but we missed EVERYTHING. Those critters are HUGE when you are 18 inches away looking up at them while trying not to drive off the road or hit them or the oncoming cars. Luckily my 25 yrs of ambulance driving kicked in and despite screaming, cursing, heart palpitations and more adrenaline than a man my age should experience, we made it past those behemoths. NO there are no pics of said Elk, no room to stop and too much traffic.
So with our hearts pounding away we continued DOWN towards Sedona 6 to 7 % grades. We passed signs that looked like a diagram of someones large intestines and realized that this was how the road was going. MORE white knuckle and heart pounding driving and we finally arrived in Sedona. Hwy 89A out of Flagstaff is an adventure that MUST be experienced. Of course it was now almost 9 and the town of Sedona has NO restaurants open so after some driving around we decided to order a pizza and then just relax in the room .
I hope the warmer weather is here to stay.
Check in when you can and let us know how cool all those sea days are 
They sure are!
Have Fun!
I'm sure it's going to be a blast at least for my little guy. 
